Ex-Whittaker Officials Admit Bribery Counts

A subsidiary of Los Angeles-based Whittaker Corp. and two former executives pleaded guilty today to charges they bribed a Marine Corps contracting official to increase the value of Pentagon electronic contracts their company obtained.

Whittaker Command and Control Systems pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government and two counts of bribing former Marine Corps official Jack Sherman with nearly $75,000 between 1982 and 1988.

The Whittaker subsidiary agreed to pay $3.5 million in fines, civil penalties and reimbursement for the cost of the investigation.

Scott M. Lamberth, 59, the former head of the subsidiary, and John F. Van Tassel, ex-director of operations at its Fayetteville, Ark., facility, also entered guilty pleas before U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton.

The plea by the Whittaker subsidiary is the third by a corporation since the investigation began last year. Teledyne Electronics and Hazeltine Corp. have both entered guilty pleas for their roles in the procurement scandal.

Unaware of Scheme

According to court papers, officials of Whittaker Corp. were unaware of the bribery scheme, which began before the company acquired the subsidiary in 1986.

The bribery scheme allegedly began in 1982 when the company was known as Lee Telecommunications and continued two years after its acquisition by Whittaker.

Lamberth was a stockholder of the company and became head of the subsidiary following its acquisition by Whittaker. Court papers said Lamberth hid the scheme from Whittaker officials.

Lamberth faces a possible 20-year sentence and fines up to $500,000. Van Tassel could be sentenced to up to 15 years and fined $250,000.

Hilton scheduled a Dec. 15 sentencing proceeding for both defendants, who have agreed to cooperate with the investigation.